Apple is reportedly preparing to launch the next-generation Apple Vision Pro headset in 2025, featuring the powerful M4 chip and upgraded components designed to handle AI-driven tasks more efficiently. While the first-generation Vision Pro launched in 2023, adoption remained limited, largely due to its premium price and developer-focused experience. Now, Apple seems set to refine its mixed reality (MR) strategy with meaningful improvements in performance, comfort, and usability.
🗓️ Apple Vision Pro Successor Launch Timeline
According to Bloomberg’s tech reporter Mark Gurman, Apple is actively working on a follow-up to the Vision Pro, which could arrive as soon as 2025. This new version will act as an iterative upgrade rather than a complete overhaul. It’s aimed at maintaining Apple’s foothold in the growing mixed reality market while a more affordable consumer-focused model is reportedly being developed for release by 2026.
⚙️ Apple Vision Pro 2025: Key Hardware Upgrades
M4 Chip for Enhanced Performance
The biggest upgrade for the Vision Pro successor is expected to be the M4 chipset, which currently powers devices like the iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, and iMac. Compared to the M2 chip found in the original Vision Pro, the M4 brings:
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Faster processing speeds
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Improved energy efficiency
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More powerful on-device AI processing
With AI becoming a core part of Apple’s future software experience, upgrading to the M4 makes the headset better prepared to handle real-time mixed reality rendering, gesture tracking, and voice-based interactions.
AI-Centric Components
In line with Apple’s broader AI strategy, the Vision Pro successor will likely include enhanced neural engine components. These are responsible for:
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Rendering virtual environments smoothly
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Real-time facial and spatial recognition
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Running third-party MR applications with low latency
Gurman notes that Apple is testing prototypes with varying core counts in the neural engine, which currently sits at 16 cores in the existing model.
🎧 Design Improvements and Comfort Enhancements
Redesigned Head Straps in the Works
One of the biggest user complaints from early adopters of the Vision Pro was neck strain and discomfort during extended usage. Apple is said to be prototyping new strap designs that prioritize:
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Better weight distribution
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Reduced pressure on the head and neck
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Longer wear-time comfort
These new straps could debut with the 2025 version, improving usability without changing the actual headset’s size or weight significantly.
👓 Apple’s Mixed Reality Roadmap: What’s Next?
While the 2025 Vision Pro is expected to be a mild refresh, Apple’s broader MR strategy includes several future products:
2026: Affordable Vision Pro Variant
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Targeted at mainstream consumers
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Likely to feature fewer sensors or lower display resolution
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More competitive pricing
2027: Major Redesign of Vision Pro
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Significantly reduced weight
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Possibly thinner displays
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Improved ergonomics and battery integration
2030 and Beyond: AR Glasses
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Apple’s first fully augmented reality (AR) glasses
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Lightweight, wearable form factor
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Could include AR overlays for navigation, fitness, and smart home control
Additionally, reports suggest Apple might launch a non-AR smart glasses product as early as 2026, potentially focused on audio interaction and notification display, similar to early-generation smart eyewear from other brands.
Measured Step Forward for Apple’s Vision Line
The 2025 version of the Apple Vision Pro may not bring dramatic changes, but the inclusion of the M4 chip, improved AI processing capabilities, and enhanced comfort will likely address many pain points from the original headset. This refresh seems positioned to keep Apple’s mixed reality ambitions alive while the company prepares a bolder, more accessible, and refined lineup over the next few years.
As Apple gradually builds its spatial computing ecosystem, the upcoming Vision Pro successor may serve as a crucial link between its first-gen MR efforts and a mainstream future where AR and MR become a part of everyday life.
